UN tells Pakistan to accept new influx of Afghan refugees

New Delhi: Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has asked Pakistan to accept the new influx of refugees from Afghanistan, suggesting that if these refugees were sent back due to the lack of documentation, they may be at risk.

He said these refugees might be from minorities or they might have other issues, Dawn news reported.

Grandi said the future was full of uncertainties and risks, but it was important that “we in the international community continue to engage with Taliban in order to go forward and save Afghanistan and the region from disaster”.

He said there had been no major refugee outflow but some Afghans had come to Pakistan, and they might have specific needs.

Grandi said Pakistan was very careful about refugees and wanted to be very cautious to check who was entering the country, the report added.

He claimed that the security situation in Afghanistan was improving and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) would be able to scale up humanitarian assistance if the organisation was adequately supported and resourced.

“The security situation has improved, but we remain concerned about the terrorist threat. We hope the new administration is united and that they do not have divisions among themselves. Otherwise, it will be a factor of destabilisation,” he warned.

Grandi said the international community should find ways to support the functioning of Afghanistan state and its institutions, the report said.

“If the state ceases to function, it will provoke a crisis much bigger than the humanitarian crisis. UNHCR has not witnessed a large outflow of refugees yet but if the state collapses, a lot of people will seek refuge in other countries. Therefore, it is important to prevent that situation,” he emphasised.

(IANS)